Jenifer

Born in Nice, France, on November 15, 1983, Francophone pop singer Jenifer (real name: Jenifer Yaël Dadouche-Bartoli) burst onto the French pop scene when she won the first series of reality talent show Star Academy in 2002. This victory (overshadowing her loss at a similar endeavor in 1997 on the television show Graines de Star) led to a recording contract and saw the release of her first single, “J’attends L’amour,” shortly thereafter. A self-titled debut album was not far behind and was a hit, selling more than 750,000 units. Touring followed, and she took a short break when she gave birth to her son in December 2003. 2004 found Jenifer back on track, releasing her second album, Le Passage. A tour and live album, Jenifer Fait Son Live, followed in 2005. In 2007, Jenifer hit number one on the French album charts for the first time with that year’s November release, Lunatique. She also won a number of NRJ Radio awards, including Best French Female Artist and Best French Album for the 2010 release Appelle-Moi Jen, as well as Best French Artist at the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards. Her well-received fifth album, L'amour et Moi, appeared in 2012 and reached the Top Five of the French charts. The same year she starred as a judge on the French version of television show The Voice, after she had found fame herself in a similar manner. A year later, Ma Déclaration arrived; it included Jenifer’s own versions of songs originally performed by France Gall alongside collaboration with Corsican group Chjami Aghjalesi and a duet with Christophe Willem. ~ Chris True